Zombie Tag Guide: How to Play Zombie Tag

Zombies are all the rage these days. They are taking over television, the movies, and even proms with their cravings for the brains of normal humans.

Would you like to be a zombie too? Would you like to participate in a zombie apocalypse without actually having to taste any guts?

Then play a game of zombie tag. It is the perfect way to experience a zombie outbreak with the comfort of knowing the world as you know it isn't over.

Mold the rules of the game to match your group, the size of the play area, the time frame and so on. Small groups can play in the backyard. Large-scale games will need a bigger space.

The game is exciting with the added bennefit of being great cardio exercise. It will help get you in shape and will serve as a drill in case there is a real zombie emergency.

Zombies are chic right now, so hop on the zombie bandwagon. Keep reading to find out how to play zombie tag with kids, at Halloween, on campus, and even a large-scale game of tag with thousands of players.

The question is, will you survive the game?

What's a zombie's favorite shampoo?

Head and Shoulders

Birthday Party Game of Zombie Tag

Kids love zombies as much as adults do. Play a game of zombie tag at your child’s birthday party. Keep the rules simple to avoid confusing the kids.

Set up boundaries for the game. Pick one person to be the zombie to start. The zombie tries to tag the others. As the other children are tagged, they become zombies and try to tag the humans. The last “human” left is the winner.

If the group is large, you may want to give the humans a token that is removed when they are tagged. This will eliminate squabbles over who is a zombie and who isn’t. The token can be something as simple as a rubber band bracelet.

You can have the kids give the token to the zombie who tagged them. Then reward the zombie who has the most tags with a prize.

Play the game multiple times and let different children be the starting zombie.

Which zombies are the scariest?

Zombies! Run!!

Halloween Party Zombie Tag

Zombie tag is killer fun at Halloween. Play it at an adult party or during kids’ Halloween parties. Make the rules more or less complicated according to the age level of the players.

If the group is mostly young children or if you want a simple game for adults who may have consumed a lot of punch, see the game play in the birthday party section above.

For teen Halloween parties and adult parties before the punch, you can add more rules to make the game more interesting.

You can give the humans weapons to use against the zombies. For instance, Nerf dart guns or pairs of rolled up socks. If a zombie is hit with a weapon, he must freeze for 30 seconds or to the count of ten or whatever amount of time you want to use.

Setting up clear boundaries for the game is even more important for teens and adults. You might want to specify that no vehicles are allowed.

What did the zombie eat after his teeth were pulled out?

The dentist.

Pick one person to be the zombie to start. The zombie tries to tag the others. As people are tagged, they become zombies and try to tag the remaining humans. The last “human” left is the winner.

Tokens are definitely a good idea. Every human should begin the game with a token. The human must give the zombie who tagged him the token. Tokens can be Halloween necklaces, foam brains, or any other spooky thing you can find.

Award the last human standing and the zombie with the most kills a prize.

Have a zombie costume contest as well. Let your guests know ahead of time to bring zombie apparel. Serve brain shaped food at the party as well.

Zombie Card Game

Zombie Parade

A mass of zombies gathering. Does anyone smell human? | Source

Zombie Walks, Parades, and Marches

Sometimes you just want to dress like a zombie and shuffle around. Many cities have annual zombie walks.

Basically it is a large group of people putting on zombie costumes and gathering together. It can be incredibly fun, though. Some people can create amazing zombie attire. It can look so real that you want to crawl into a zombie proof shelter.

These events are often parades or marches where the zombies line up and walk down the streets. Sometimes it is even for a cause such as hunger awareness. Some cities have zombie festivals and other zombie themed events such as zombie proms.

Check to see if any cities near you host zombie walks. If not, organize your own. Get your brains working and the zombies will come.

Survive Johnson City, TN

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?

City-Wide Zombie Tag

Recently their was an enormous game of zombie tag in the city where I live. There were over 3,000 people playing the game. It was the most awesome adrenaline pumping game of tag ever.

There were a handful of people who began the game as zombies. Everyone gathered in a large field in the downtown area. You could feel the excitement in the air as thousands of people waited for the zombie attack to start.

A few minutes before 7pm, when the game was set to begin, the crowd just got spooked. Thousands of people just began running chaotically at the same time. My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth. There was no choice but to run because of the crowd swarming.

There were several checkpoints in the play area that were safe zones. Humans received a stamp at each one. The person who made it to all the checkpoints first without being tagged was the winner. The zombie who tagged the most people was also a winner.

The game was over in about an hour. The twenty minutes I lasted as a human were absolutely thrilling. If you want to know what a real zombie apocalypse feels like, play a game of large-scale zombie tag. Even though you know it is just a game, it is still nerve racking. Any time a zombie was spotted, people went haywire running and screaming. Some hid, some gave up, some outsmarted the zombie.

Ten minutes into the game there were hundreds of zombies. Twenty minutes into the game there were only a few hundred humans left. Thirty minutes into the game everyone was a zombie.

If you get the chance to play a large game of zombie tag, do it. It was a blast to play and interesting and a little frightening to see how quickly the zombies can take over a city.

Zombies Are Coming! Everybody Run!

Energize Yourself for the Game

Checkpoint Stamps

Stamp hands as players make it to each checkpoint alive.

Organizing a Large-Scale Zombie Tag Event

If you want to organize a giant game of zombie tag in your city, here are a few guidelines and suggestions to get you started. Most of these are to prevent safety issues I saw arise during the local game of zombie tag in which I participated.

Pick a safe place for the play area. Make sure the boundaries of the game are clearly marked. A park or a college campus is a great place. You want a place where there is no traffic. You don't want people dodging in front of cars to avoid zombies. If you play in an urban area, make sure all of the streets are closed during the game.

You will need an area that is at least a square mile large if you are going to have a thousand or more people.

Designate safe zones where players can rest, go to the bathroom, get water, etc. You can incorporate stamps as well. Players who make it to all of the safe zones and get a stamp win the game.

Have all the humans start out wearing a black shirt with a white shirt underneath. If they are tagged, they put the white shirt on top to show they are zombies.

Have a few players begin as zombies wearing white shirts. The white will help make the zombies more visible.

Give everyone a token before the game (cheap necklaces or something else that players can wear). When a person is tagged, he must give the zombie who tagged him the token. Award the zombie with the most kills a prize as well.

Be sure to establish ground rules like no weapons, no vehicles, players must be on foot, don't shove people down when you tag them, and so on.

You may want to make a rule that minors must have a guardian with them. Young children can get hurt if they aren't being watched during an event like this. I saw teenagers going completely wild during the game. The adrenaline gets pumping and they take unsafe risks. Having a mature adult with them can prevent accidents and help ensure the game doesn't get out of hand.

If your event is going to involve hundreds or thousands, consider having game moderators posted throughout the area to ensure that people are playing fairly. Cheaters spoil the game for everyone.

Talk to local officials about permits, insurance, police security, etc.

You can even charge $1 to each participant in order to pay cost.

Advertise on Facebook. Survive Johnson City had thousands of people turn out because everyone forwarded invites to their friends.

Zombie Emergency Plan

Do you know what to do in case of a zombie outbreak? | Source

Set clear guidelines and make sure people are following to keep the game safe. It is a pretend game of zombies, not a real fight to survive.

Zombie tag can be an awesome adrenaline thrill that is great to play in groups of twenty or groups of 2000.

Young and old alike get their hearts pumping as they run to save their brains from being eaten by the zombies. So be a part of the phenomenon and form your own game of zombie tag.

Tag! Tell me your zombie tale.

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

Ellie Shay

4 years ago

This sound SO fun, I can't wait to try it out. I am a huge fan of Walking Dead and like you said zombies are very "in" right now. I'm feeling a giant game of zombie tag at this year's Halloween party! Thank for this, I though it was very well put together!

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

5 years agofrom Far, far away

FlourishAnyway - Thanks!

FlourishAnyway

5 years agofrom USA

What a fantastic idea. Too, too cool!

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

6 years agofrom Far, far away

Rustedwho - Thanks! Good luck in HubNuggets!

Rustedwho

6 years agofrom Central Pennsylvania

Absolutely excellent! This was one of the best, most engaging zombie articles I have ever read. Thank you for such an awesome hub! Check out my recent hubnugget nomination - Becoming a Zombie: The Brighter Side of Death! Again, great job!

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

6 years agofrom Far, far away

That Grrl - Zombie tag is definitely more fun. But any occasion to dress like a zombie is a good one.

Laura Brown

6 years agofrom Barrie, Ontario, Canada

My exhusband loves the zombie stuff. He does the Zombie Walk each year. I don't know if he has tried zombie tag.

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

7 years agofrom Far, far away

Duchess - It is definitely a blast to play! Caffeine would come in handy!

DuchessDuCaffeine

7 years agofrom United States of America

Now this is the game for me!

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

7 years agofrom Far, far away

jamesjacques - I bet the games at UW are as much fun to watch as they are to play. When you were little, what was more fun, being the zombie or running from one?

barbergirl - Dressing up as a zombie is as exciting as playing tag. If your area doesn't have any games, you could invite some friends over and start up a game. The Walking Dead is a great show. My husband has even started reading the comic books that inspired the show.

Stacy Harris

7 years agofrom Hemet, Ca

This was awesome... I so want to see if my local area has some zombie parties that I can go to. Especially after my husband got the series of the Walking Dead... we would be able to easily do our zombie makeup! Loved this!

jamesjacques

7 years agofrom Seattle

this is so cool. I used to play this on the playground when I was little. At the UW they have massive zombie games like you talked about

AUTHOR

Candace Bacon

7 years agofrom Far, far away

Wow. Thanks for the fabulous compliment Simone! Playing zombie tag was a huge thrill. Another game is in the works here. I would like to do a zombie lurch also. Thanks again.

Simone Haruko Smith

7 years agofrom San Francisco

OH. MY. GOSH. THISISSOOOAWESOME!! Jeez, cocopreme. Just when I think you can't get any cooler, there you go.

I've had the privilege of participating in zombie lurches, and I have played city-wide games of tag, but never before have I played zombie tag! This sounds like so much fun. I've got to figure out how I can organize a game now. GREAT GREAT Hub!!

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